Stephanie Tung, Byrne Family Curator of Photography at the Peabody Essex Museum, speaks about the exhibition Power and Perspective: Early Photography in China—find the recording at the bottom of the page. Co-curated with Karina Corrigan, the H.A. Crosby Forbes Curator of Asian Export Art, this exhibition explored the introduction and adoption of photography in 19th century China. Photography’s development as a new form of art and technology in the 19th century coincided with profound changes in the way China engaged with the world. Many items in the exhibit were sourced from the PEM’s own collections.

By calling attention to the power dynamics at play, Power and Perspective offered a vital reassessment of the colonial legacy of the medium and shed light on photography as an inherently social medium that continues to shape our perspectives today.

The exhibition’s contemporary section featured emerging Chinese photographers who participated in a three-month-long virtual collaboration. They were asked to interrogate the themes of the exhibition and respond to these historic works in the collection. The new works offered personal insights into China today.

Ms. Tung notes: “Power and Perspective asked viewers to slow down, look closely at images, and think about the perspectives of those who shaped them. With cameras in our pockets today and a hypersensitive focus on social media, it provided an opportunity to think more deeply about our casual snaps and what they say about us all.”

Note: Visit https://tinyurl.com/37s46pdj to read about PHSNE’s China Photo Preservation Project with the Chinese Photographers Association in Beijing. (2000)

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